Sony has just announced the brand new RX0 II which can now record 4K internally and has a new articulating flip screen.
Key features
- 1.0-type stacked 15.3-megapixeli Exmor RS™ CMOS image sensor
- ZEISS Tessar T* 24mm F/4 fixed wide-angle lens
- 4K 30P internal recording (compared to external on the RX0) with SLog-2
- In-body electronic stabilisation
- EyeAF for photos
- External microphone jack
- Waterproof to 10m/33ft
- Crushproof to 200kg
- Up to 960/1000fps
The RX0 II is actually slightly larger than the original RX0 due to the new tiltable LCD screen. The camera is still quite compact though, measuring in at 59.0×40.5×35.0 mm(2 3/8 in. × 1 5/8 in. 1 7/16 in.) and only weighing 117g (body only) or 132g with the battery & SD card.
The RX0 II can record 4K 30p internally with a full pixel readout and no pixel binning. This is great news as the original was only capable of recording 4K externally. The RX0 II can still be used with an external recorder, offering an uncompressed 4K HDMI output with simultaneous proxy movie recording.
The RX0II allows you to shoot at frame rates of up to 960fps/1000fp. You can even capture in full HD resolution at up to 120fps/100fps. Even though the files get recorded as 1920×1080 the sensor readout number of effective pixels are:
- Quality Priority: 240fps/250fps(1,676×942)
- 480fps/500fps(1,676×566)
- 960fps/1000fps(1,136×384)
- Shoot Time Priority:240fps/250fps(1,676×566)
- 480fps/500fps(1,136×384)
- 960fps/1000fps(800×270)
As for codecs and bitrates, the RX0 II can record up to 4K in XAVC S up to 100mb p/s. You will need to pack batteries though, with each NP-BJ1 battery only recording approximately 35 minutes. You can use a USB power source for continual power though.
Vloggers Delight
Since it has a flippy screen, it may now be more suited for those looking to use the RX0 for vlogging, you can still use the original VCT-SGR1 shooting grip that acts as a mini handle/tripod with dedicated rec and shutter buttons, along with a zoom toggle. The addition of electronic stabilisation will also help to smooth out the handheld footage.
A few things to take note of is the short battery life, at only 35 minutes of recording time, you may need to add an external power source or carry a few spare batteries.
Unfortunately, there are also no filter threads on the RX0 II to add ND or filtration to maintain a reasonable shutter speed. In Kai Wong’s video, he got around this by using the SmallRig cage for the RX0 which still fits that adds a filter thread.
Pricing & Availability
With a price of $698 USD, the RX0 II is priced at the same initial price of the first version and is priced above the GoPro HERO 7 Black ($399 USD).
The RX0 II is available for pre-order and is expected to ship in May 2019.
